Observing the Build

If you're in charge of managing a timber bridge, you want to make sure you take the right maintenance steps over the years to keep this bridge system in good condition. You'll have more success with timber bridge maintenance if you take these actions. 

Prevent Excessive Moisture 

Timber bridges will be exposed to different elements, but you don't want to let excessive moisture develop around them. That's because it can cause the timber materials to degrade over time and thus make it less structurally stable. You can prevent excessive moisture in a couple of ways.

One of the most effective is just figuring out a way to divert water away from the timber bridge. For instance, you could set up drainage pipes that divert water away from the timber bridge when it rains. Keeping the timber bridge clean also would help in preventing excessive moisture levels from rising. 

Have Timber Experts Perform Inspections

You can check on a timber bridge periodically to make sure it's holding up as it should, but you'll want to couple these DIY assessments with professional inspections. Then if there is hidden damage, it will be identified before major bridge damage happens.

Just make sure you hire timber experts to perform these bridge inspections because they'll know what red flags to keep a lookout for. It might be signs of rotting, excessive warping, or chipped sections that need to be repaired at the earliest convenience. 

Utilize Professional Surface Treatments

If you don't want to leave a timber bridge exposed to the elements outside, one thing you can do is put a surface treatment on it. There are many to choose from, and they'll keep things like rot from developing for a long time.

You can hire professional contractors to treat all surfaces of your timber bridge, keeping it lasting a long time. They'll also help in selecting an appropriate surface treatment based on the specific type of timber the bridge is made of. Thanks to their professional equipment and years of hands-on experience, applying these treatments on a timber bridge won't be difficult.

If you've developed a timber bridge to connect two points of land, it helps to care for it correctly over the years. You just need to be smart with the actions you take and the products you ultimately use. Then timber bridge maintenance won't be something you have to question now or decades later. 

Contact a contractor for more information about timber bridges.